This invention relates to accessory mounts for firearms, and more particularly to accessory mounts that may be quickly, easily and firmly secured to a firearm, and quickly and easily removed therefrom.
Various types of devices are useful as accessories for being mounted to firearms, examples of such accessories being target illuminators, laser sights and vertical handgrips. Such accessories are conventionally mounted to an interface apparatus descriptively referred to as an accessory mount, which has been secured to the firearm. Such accessory mounts may include rail interface systems well known in the art pertaining to firearms, and in particular with respect to submachine guns, carbines, rifles and other firearms used for military and police operations.
The aforementioned parent application Ser. No. 10/447,874 discloses accessory mounts that may be firmly secured to a firearm along the firearm's barrel, and which may be quickly and easily secured to and removed from the firearm. According to one aspect of the invention disclosed therein, an accessory mount is provided for a firearm having a longitudinal barrel, a rear support and a front support, the accessory mount comprising the combination of: a first longitudinal mount housing having a rear end, the first housing positionable along the barrel with the rear end of the first housing supported by the rear support; a second longitudinal mount housing having a front end, the second housing positionable along the barrel with the front end of the second housing supported by the front support; longitudinal channels in one of the first and second housings, and longitudinal flanges on the other of the first and second housings slidably received by the channels and transversely securing the first and second housings together; and at least one adjustable member carried by one of the first and second housings and cooperating with the other of the first and second housings for urging the first and second housings in longitudinally opposite directions. In the preferred embodiment disclosed in the parent application, one of the housings is provided with inwardly directed longitudinally spaced-apart lugs, and the other housing is provided with a plurality of outwardly directed longitudinally spaced-apart flanges cooperating with the lugs for transversely securing the housings together when the second housing is placed to the first housing and the housings are longitudinally displaced relative to each other. The preferred embodiments of the invention taught in the parent application are exemplified therein as being secured to types of firearms such as M-4, M-16 and Sig Sauer automatic rifles.